Partners
by reooeky
Summary: Hidan and Kakuzu's lives as Akitsuki partners. I can't summarize to save my life, so just read the story it's better than it sounds. KakuzuHidan. side SasoDei and KisaIta. Rated for language. FINISHED! The sequel is coming.
1. A New Partner

Alrighty... so, this is my second story. Yay! It'll be multi-chapter, but I'm not sure how long yet. Meh, oh well.

I know that the characters may be OOC in this story, but there wasn't enough characterization of some of these characters in the manga, so I'm doing what I think will fit best, and if you can't just deal with it, you can click the 'back' button on your screen.

**Pairings**: Kakuzu/Hidan (major), Sasori/Deidara (minor), Kisame/Itachi (minor)

_thoughts_

Okay... Here we go!

* * *

**Partners **  
Chapter One

* * *

Kakuzu sat on one of the cold leather couches in the common room of the Akitsuki headquarters. He held a large scroll in his lap, but he had yet to unroll it, and had yet to discover the information it held. He had been sitting on the couch, in the same position, staring at the same spot on the opposite wall for nearly two hours. Everything was silent.

Had it not been against his nature, Kakuzu would have smiled; he did so lobe silence. He basked in the rare and precious solitude of the moment; the room was free of Deidara's constant chatter and the clinking of gears and sprockets from Sasori, and most importantly, no moans or banging could be heard coming from either Itachi's or Kisame's rooms. Oh yes, this occasion was a special one.

_The only other person here is that fly-trap, but he's quiet enough. Sometimes I even forget he's there... he's just plain creepy._

Kakuzu, however, was not much less "creepy" himself; he had a hulking figure, his height and bulk only rivaled by that of Kisame, and stood at well over six feet with large muscle covered by tan, but slightly ashy, skin. This could be considered somewhat normal if not for the way his flesh was held together; thick black strands were sewn along his body to keep his skin in one piece. His most frightening feature was his eyes. His irises were an eerie yellow and pupil less, while what should have been the whites of his eyes were pitch black. Very few people had seen more than his eyes, though, because he wore a cloth mask and head piece to cover his head and neck, while his trousers and Akitsuki cloak covered the rest of his body, save for his hands and feet.

And so he sat, the minutes passing by disregarded, and thinking of nothing more until the main door creaked open, catching both his and the plant man's, Zetsu's, attention. The leader of the Akitsuki stepped through the door frame, another, smaller figure behind him. Kakuzu saw a quick flash of silver, and the figure was once again hidden by the leader's shadow. Though he would never show it, Kakuzu was curious about the newcomer.

The leader stepped aside to reveal an average-sized man with pale skin, silver hair slicked back against his head, and piercing magenta eyes under a curtain of thick silver lashes. He wore tight black pants and a loose, sleeveless black shirt. Resting on his sternum was an odd silver pendant, which was an upside-down triangle inside of a circle. The man looked around the common room, almost critically.

"This," the leader said, his deep voice echoing in the nearly empty room, "is Hidan. He will be your new partner, Kakuzu, and I'm sure that while he's here, we won't have any accidents like the ones we had with your former partners." And after a moment, " Now, I must be going; I have other matters to attend to."

The leader turned down a hallway and the sound of his footsteps became faint and distant.

Hidan looked around the room again, eyes stopping to rest on Zetsu, and he walked over to the plant man.

"What's your name?" he asked. His voice was a mellow tenor.

"Zetsu." Then silence.

"Ah," said Hidan, slightly taken aback by the shortness of Zetsu's reply. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you; I'm Hidan."

The only response he received was a curt nod.

Hidan sulked for a moment, slightly peeved that he was hardly beeing acknowledged. Composing himself, he turned to Kakuzu.

"So, you must be Kakuzu," Hidan said.

Kakuzu unrolled the scroll in his lap, sparing Hidan only a quick upward glance and an irritated "so it would seem."

He watched Hidan through the corner of his eye and was amused to see him flushed, with anger boiling in his eyes. Finally, Hidan's anger peaked, and he released a long stream of angry words.

"Dear Jashin! How rude can you bastards possibly be? I come here and can't get more than four words out of either of you! Well, this is no way to treat someone; I deserve more respect!" His rant went on until:

"You tell 'em, un!"

Hidan turned to the direction of the voice and saw a man with long honey-blond hair hat was half up and had bangs covering one of his blue eyes. Hidan looked at him in silent questioning.

"I'm Deidara, un," said the man, his voice high pitched, "and you must be Kakuzu's new partner. Leader-sama had told us you'd be comin' soon. So, what's yer name?"

"The name's Hidan," he replied. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's great ta meet'cha, too, un!"

"Thanks," Hidan said. "Are all the other members as rude as those two?"

"Well," Deidara started, "Zetsu isn't tryin' to be rude; he just doesn't talk much, un. Itachi can be cruel, but he can be nice, too, so I like 'im. My partner, Sasori, is like Zetsu, ya know? Just real quiet. Kisame– Itachi's partner– is really mean, un. He says that I talk to much an–"

"You do," came from the direction of the couch.

" Shut up, un! Nobody asked ya. Un!"

Kakuzu got up, sighing and muttering something along the lines of "idiots" before walking around the couch and staring down one of the halls adjacent to the common room, one end of the scroll fluttering behind him.

"Don't worry about him, un," Deidara reassure. "He's a total asshole, but he won't say much."

Hidan nodded, watching Kakuzu's retreating back, and then looking back at Deidara.

"Well," Hidan began, "would you mind showing me around?"

"I'd be happy to, un!" Deidara exclaimed, taking Hidan by the arm and dragging him down one of the many halls, talking animatedly the entire time.

* * *

Okay, there's the first chapter. I'm currently working on the second.

Oh, hey, does anyone know if the leader has a name, because if he does, I totally forgot it. --;

And please tell me if anything is spelled wrong... sometimes spell check just isn't enough.

Well, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the story. I'll update soon-ish, pinky-swear!


	2. A Tour & More Greetings

I finished the second chapter. YAY! Okay, so I've decided not to change the title, because as one of my friends pointed out, it could be interpreted two ways. I could be 'partners' as in associates, or it could be 'partners' as in lovers; thus, the title shall be staying. Also, the rating may change; it's not too graphic now, but I intend for it to be... and my terrible language is seeping into the story --;

Lastly, I would like to thanks those who reveiwed; I love you all! XOXOXOXOX

_thoughts_

**carnivore Zetsu****talking**

Now to the story...

* * *

**Partners**

Chapter Two

* * *

Deidara spent over an hour showing Hidan every room in the Akitsuki headquarters: the kitchen, the bathrooms, and where everyone's bedrooms were.

"And this is your room, un," Deidara said, opening a black door at the end of what seemed to be the millionth hall they had gone down that day.

"It looks like Leader-sama already sent your things here," Deidara commented. "That was nice of him, un!"

Hidan just nodded and looked around the room. The walls were a light grey and there were no windows; the only furniture was a black dresser, a small black desk with a matching chair, and a bed with dark grey bedding.

_Cheery_, thought Hidan.

Hidan walked over to his belongings and began to unpack his clothing onto the dresser when he noticed a large, black leather bound book lying on the floor. The book had the same symbol on the cover as the one on his pendant.

_Oh, __**hell**__ no_!

"WHY THE _FUCK_ IS MY BIBLE ON THE FLOOR?!?" Hidan screamed, picking up the book and dusting it off. "How could someone just drop this so carelessly on the dirty floor? I mean, honestly, would you just drop an expensive vase on the ground? _No_!"

"Yeah! You should never disrespect art that way! Un!"

"Exactly! It makes me so _mad_! I could just kill someone right now. Seriously!" Hidan swore for several minutes before kissing the book and whispering: "Forgive this mistake,

Jashin-sama."

When Hidan finished speaking, he was red in the face and breathing heavily.

"That was one passionate speech, un," said Deidara. "Ya know what? I like you. I think we'll be good friends, un."

"Thanks," Hidan said, calming down. "I think so, too."

After a light lunch consisting of stir-fry and miso soup, Deidara and Hidan sat down in the common room and told each other about themselves and the things they enjoyed. Hidan summarized the beliefs of his religion, Jashin, while Deidara, in turn, told Hidan about his love of art. After an hour or so of that conversation, Deidara started telling Hidan more about the other Akitsuki members.

"Okay," he began, "so Zetsu has two personalities, un. One of 'em is the shy human side; the other's the carnivore. It can get weird talking to him sometimes, un. Ya never can tell who yer talkin' to." He laughed, and Hidan joined him.

"And then you have my partner, Sasori; he has hundreds of battle-puppets, an' all of 'em were made from actual people, un. He takes extremely good care of all of 'em. And guess what; he even made some of himself mechanical. Isn't that cool, un?"

"Yes, it's very impressive," answered Hidan; the respect he held for Sasori's accomplishments was obvious in his voice.

"Yeah, but the greatest thing about him si that he loves me more than anything he'll ever make, un!"

"You're together?" Hidan, asked, arching a pale eyebrow.

"Oh, yes; it'll be three years next month, actually. Why? That doesn't bother ya, does it, un?" Nervousness crept into his voice and he lowered his head slightly.

"No, no! Not at all! I didn't mean to give the impression that I was bothered by it," Hidan reassured quickly. "You just caught me a bit off guard, that all. So, you've been together for a long time?"

"Yes," Deidara said, a contented smile gracing his slightly feminine features, "and I'm so glad this doesn't bother you; I wouldn't want to lose a friend so soon because of something like this, un."

Hidan smiled, pleased that he was considered a friend by Deidara.

"So," he said, "how'd it happen?"

"What, un?"

"You know; how'd you end up together?"

"Ohhh." Deidara blushed, embarrassed that by his moment of obliviousness. "Well, we had been working together for two years, and I was already so much in love with him, un! He always told me I was too loud, but he was never really mean about it. Sasori was so sweet, too; he'd always take such good care of me if I got hurt or was sick.

"So one day, after a mission, he was healing me; I'd gotten a slash to my hip. It was a deep cut; hurt like a bitch. Un! He was so careful when he was cleanin' up the wound and bandagin' it; I decided to tell him how I felt, 'cause it was obvious by his carefulness that he cared for me in some way. So I said to him: 'Sasori, I wanted you ta know that I love you.' An' he just blushed redder than my blood, un! Then he hugged me, an' I knew that he felt the same. I was _so_ happy, un! I love 'im so, _sooo_ much!"

Hidan smiled; the sweet story had sent a gentle warmth throughout his body.

"I'm rather envious, you know," he said jokingly.

"I know, un," Deidara replied; his eyes were slightly hazy, and a silly grin that only love could bring about was plastered on his face. "But it hasn't gotten very physical, ya know? Sasori's almost as shy as Zetsu. It's just the cutest thing, un!"

"I can't wait to meet him," Hidan said, laughing at Deidara's comment.

"Uh-huh. I think you two'd get along really well, un."

"Anyway," Hidan said, bringing their conversation to another topic, "What about the others?"

"Well, Itachi and Kisame are partners, like I told you, un, and they–"

The main doors slammed open, and a black blur came flying through the air and landed between the two men. Hidan picked up the object and found it to be a cloak matching Deidara's, with the Akitsuki's signature crimson clouds decorating the bottom half.

"Oh," said Deidara, unaffected by the loud noise and projectile. "That would be them now, un."

Both Deidara and Hidan turned to the doorway to see a large figure with blue hair pushing another, smaller figure against the now closed door. The smaller figure's arms were draped around the large figure's neck, on leg wrapped around a thick thigh. The fact that they were kissing was incredibly obvious, but neither seemed to care.

"Hello Itachi, Kisame!" Deidara called out.

One of the tanned hands lifted from around the broad shoulders in a small wave. The larger man raised a large blue-ish hand and flipped Deidara the birdie. From the man's actions towards Deidara, Hidan was able to conclude that this was Kisame, which meant the smaller figure was Itachi.

From a hall to the left of the couch Hidan and Deidara occupied, Kakuzu entered the common room, snorting in ill-concealed disgust.

"They're back," he grumbled. "Goody."

As Kakuzu turned to leave, a pair of black pants landed on his shoulder.

"Itachi!" he bellowed, his gravely voice echoing throughout the common room. "Keep your pants on, you slut!"

Hidan looked between Kakuzu and the couple at the door. Deidara tried to muffle his growing laughter behind his hand.

Kisame broke the kiss with Itachi and turned his head towards Kakuzu; a thin line of saliva still connected his lips to Itachi's.

"Watch what you say, ass-wipe!" he yelled.

"Oh, just shut up, you stupid shark," Kakuzu retorted.

"**Ha! A fight! There will be much bloodshed.**"

Hidan jumped and turned to face the owner of the voice behind him, seeing Zetsu standing there with a crazed grin on his face.

After this exclamation, the situation became too much for Deidara, and he burst into

full-out laughter, falling to his knees and clutching his shaking abdomen and shoulders.

Both Kisame and Kakuzu turned towards Deidara's quivering form and glared.

"You little freak!" Kisame screamed, taking a step towards him.

Kakuzu followed suit, and they advanced on Deidara, who was still kneeling on the floor laughing.

Suddenly, two thick wires coiled around Kakuzu and Kisame's waists.

"Don't you even _think_ of laying a finger on him," said a menacing voice from behind them.

Deidara's head shot up, eyes wide and sparkling, tears of laughter still trickling down from the corners of his eyes.

"Sasori, un! I'm glad you could get back so early!"

A figure with messy auburn hair and pale skin stepped out from behind the two struggling and restrained men, loosening the coils keeping them captive, but not releasing them completely. His lips were curved up in a tiny smile, and his sea-green eyes showed love and caring.

"Hello, Deidara," he replied.

Deidara bounced over to him, delivering a small kiss to the corner of his mouth; Sasori's cheeks were now dusted with a light blush. Deidara pulled his head back and skipped over to Hidan, linking their arms and pulling him back over to Sasori.

"I have someone to introduce you to, un," Deidara said excitedly. "This si Hidan; he's Kakuzu's new partner, un! I think you two are gonna get along real well, un!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you Sasori," Hidan said politely. "Deidara has told me a lot about you."

"The same to you, Hidan," Sasori replied.

Itachi walked over to the group, his long black hair flowing behind him, and held out his hand in front of Hidan.

"Uchiha Itachi; nice to meet you," he said.

Hidan took his hand and shook it, smiling awkwardly, aware of Itachi's state of undress.

"HEY!"

The exclamation brought everyone's attention to Kisame, was still trapped by Sasori's wire bindings; Kakuzu had also yet to be freed. Sasori gave them a wary look, and then released them with an exaggerated sigh, retracting the wires back under his cloak and into his mechanical body.

"Oh," Deidara said, distracting everyone from the tension between the three men, "I have a great idea, un! We should have a welcome dinner for our newest member!"

"You can, but I'm going to my room. You're all giving me a terribly headache," mumbled Kakuzu, rubbing his temples.

"What? He's _your_ new partner! How can you just–" Deidara cut himself off. "Hmph!"

He reached into his cloak and pulled a small clump of clay out of one of he inner pockets. He held the clay over the mouth on one of his hands and looked around at the group, daring any of them to disagree with him.

"Fine," Kakuzu said after a moment, defeated. "We'll have your stupid dinner, but there are to be now bird-bombs."

Deidara pouted at being talked to like a child, but then he smiled triumphantly and led the group towards the kitchen– Itachi had to stop to get his pants before running to catch up with the rest of the group. There were no further arguments.

* * *

There you go; chapter two is finished!

I can't guarantee that the coming chapters will be so long and posted so soon, but I'll try.

Oh, and I'm not sure how far I should skip ahead to in chapter three; I want to start the chapter on Hidan's and Kakuzu's first mission together, but I'm not sure if that should be a few days or a few weeks farther into the story. I'm also not sure how close to their deaths I should end the story. If y'all could give me some feedback on the situation, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for sticking with the story!


	3. A New Mission

Here's chapter three... FINALLY! I've had this done for about a week, but I never got to putting it up, and I'm spending a lot of time studying for my final exams. But hey, chapter four's almost done, so I'm still doing something.

Anyway, here you go!

* * *

**Partners**

**Chapter Three**

* * *

For two weeks, Hidan spent his time with Deidara and Itachi, getting to know each other better and becoming closer friends. Occasionally, Sasori would join a conversation, but he would usually use short sentences. He would also see Kakuzu reading in the common room, only for him to leave as soon as Hidan entered with Deidara and Itachi; this annoyed Hidan to no end, and he quickly became frustrated with his lack of knowledge regarding his partner. HE only saw Kisame and Zetsu in the kitchen or training rooms.

Presently, Hidan was lying shirtless on his bed, reading his bible; Deidara and Sasori had been sent on a mission, and Itachi was spending time with Kisame.

_Thank Jashin my room isn't anywhere near one of theirs. I could have sworn I saw rope burns on Itachi's wrists last week. I don't even want to know what they're doing now._

Hidan sighed and placed his bible down next to him on the bed. He looked around his room and heaved another sigh.

_I really have to paint the walls a different color. Hm... maybe crimson._

Hidan had not put any time into redecorating the dull, grey room, and there was nothing

unique about it, save for a bookcase and a clay figurine on the desk.

_It was nice of Deidara to make that for me. Now, what was it that he said? Oh yes, "No room is complete without art, un!"_

Hidan let out a chuckle.

_Jashin, he's crazy... hmm... I mis him already; it's just not the same without him._

He sighed again.

_Just look at me; my friend's gone two days and I'm already acting like he's left for good. I'm so pathetic..._

Hidan laid his head down on his pillow and stared at the ceiling.

A few moments later, a knock at his bedroom door broke the silence. Hidan pushed himself into a sitting position and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. After slipping a loose shirt over his bare torso, he stood up and walked across the room, yanking the door open abruptly. Zetsu stood on the other side of the door with his fist raised in the air, ready to knock again.

"Is there anything you need?" Hidan asked tiredly, hiding a yawn behind his hand.

"Leader-sama needs you in his office," Zetsu answered.

"Okay," Hidan said, following Zetsu out of the room and down several halls. They stopped at a large set of black double-doors with the Akitsuki cloud carved into the wood and painted red.

Zetsu knocked on the doors, and when a reply came from inside, he opened them and stepped inside, followed by Hidan. Inside the room, the leader sat behind a large desk covered in unorganized piles of papers and notebooks. Kakuzu stood to the side with this arms crossed over his chest.

"You may leave, Zetsu," the leader said.

After Zetsu closed the door behind himself, the leader turned to Kakuzu and Hidan, who were now standing in front of the desk.

"I have an assignment for you two," he started. "You will be traveling to the Land of the Waves, where you will eliminate a pair of women who have been causing trouble for Akitsuki. They live in a small village on the outskirts of the country. I f they are not there when you arrive, you are to stay and wait for them."

Hidan nodded, uttering a "hai, Leader-sama", and Kakuzu grunted as a response.

"I will provide you with enough money and provisions for a few months," the leader continued, "but I want this task to be completed as quickly as possible. These women have interfered with many of the recent missions in the Land of the Waves, and there is more business to be done there soon, so the success of those future missions depends on your success, understand?"

Both men standing opposite him nodded.

The leader took two files and slid them across the desk.

"Good. Now then, these are the women's profiles and the details of the mission," he said.

Hidan and Kakuzu each took one of the manila folders.

"You shall leave tomorrow morning; until then, you are dismissed."

Hidan bowed to show his respect, and Kakuzu inclined his head. Hidan went to the door and held it open for Kakuzu, who nodded to him, before exiting the office and walking back to his room.

A soon as he closed the bedroom door behind him, Hidan pulled of his shirt and threw it across the room. He went to his dresser and packed a duffle bag with the clothing and other items he would bring on the mission, setting it beside a three-bladed scythe that leaning against the wall.

He picked up a fresh towel from the pile on the desk chair and got soap and hair products out of the top drawer fo the dresser.

He went to the bathroom closest to his bedroom and turned the shower on, increasing the water temperature to nearly scalding hot; the room was quickly enveloped in thick, opaque steam. He sighed and let the hot water sooth his anxieties.

_My first mission! Jashin... I'm so excited. I can prove to Kakuzu that I __**can**__ actually do something. How can he just assume that I'll just be a liability because of how I act? I'll show him! And maybe I'll even learn something about him; he's so antisocial! Maybe I can make him open up to me. It would be a lot easier to work with someone who I know on some level. Maybe we could even be friends... yeah right!_

He stood under the hot spray for a few more moments before shampooing his hair and rinsing out the suds. He conditioned his hair, and then washed his body with a large bar of soap. As he let the water carry the suds off his pale skin, he watched the droplets of soapy water slide down his arm and drip off his finger tips. When he was clean and soap-free, he turned off the water and stepped onto the cold tile floor. After quickly drying himself, he pulled on his boxers and pants, gathered his toiletries, and walked out into the hall.

While walking down one of the hallways, he bumped into someone going in the opposite direction. He muttered a quick apology, but didn't look up to see who it was.

He felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck, and he god the impression that he was being watched. The feeling didn't leave him until he turned a corner.

When he got to his room, he closed the door behind him and pulled off his pants, walking over to his bed clad only in boxers. After reciting a prayer to Jashin, he turned out the lights and got under the covers. He was asleep within minutes.

Kakuzu walked back to his room from the leader's office.

He opened his bedroom door and walked into the room, which was just as plain and grey as it was when he first arrived at the Akitsuki headquarters. After packing the necessities for the mission, he sat down at his desk and opened the folder. He first read the sheet outlining the specific details fo the mission– the exact location, and other important information of that sort– and then turned to the profiles.

The first woman's name was Miyuki Himoura. Her picture showed that she was in her early twenties; she had short auburn hair, and around her neck hung a forehead-protector that signified he status as a ninja.

The second woman had now surname, and only the first-name "Nami" was printed in the name space. Her black hair reached just past her shoulders, and her long bangs were held out of her eyes– which were a shocking shade of lime-green– by a forehead-protector.

_Just the two of them were able to cause Akitsuki so much trouble? They must be quite powerful, but we should be able to destroy them... just so long as that loud-mouthed Hidan decides to leave his "baka side" here._

After reading the file completely, Kakuzu decided to take a shower.

_The last decent washing I'll be able to get for a while._

He sighed. He hated how little time was left for routine hygiene when he was on missions.

He gathered his toiletries and a towel, and then left his room, heading towards the nearest bathroom. As he walked down one of the many halls, he knocked into someone, and he stopped, looking behind him to see who it was.

What he saw caused his eyes to widen slightly, and he felt the heat of a blush rise to his cheeks, though his mask covered any color that may have come to his face. Hidan was walking down the hall from the shower, judging by the items he carried. His back was bare, and the muscles were well-defined under his pale skin. His silver hair was in slight disarray and still damp, giving it an extra, liquid shine His figure was lithe and lean, and his slim hips swayed with every step he took.

_Like a woman_, Kakuzu thought, He was internally laughing, though he was still entranced by Hidan's graceful movements.

Hidan's tight pants did nearly nothing to hide the contractions and relaxations of the taunt muscles in his legs and buttocks. One arm swung lazily at his side as he walked, his long, delicate fingers occasionally skimming the smooth material of his pants.

Kakuzu watched Hidan until he turned a corner, ant then continued walking towards the bathroom.

_He's absolutely gorgeous! I don't think I've ever seen something so perfect. I hope he doesn't do anything to anger me; I don't want to go into a rage... it would be a terrible shame if I killed someone so beautiful..._

* * *

DONE!

Wow, I was only planning on saying that "Hidan took a shower", but look... I spent so much time describing it. I'm such a bad person!

Anyway... I decided to make Kakuzu a rather curious person– only in his thoughts of course. And yes, I know it's a bit strange the way he's acting, but even big pincushions like him have a sex drive.

Chapter four'll come out soon! Love ya'll! Buh-bye!


	4. A Tent & a Hotel

Sorry this took a little longer... it's been done for a few weeks, but I've had final exams. I've started chapter five, and I only have one exam left, so it should be posted pretty soon.

Anyways, hugs and kisses to all the readers– especially anyone who reviewed.

Just a little note, but we shall pretend that the Akitsuki hideout is near the village Hidan and Kakuzu are going to; I didn't take location into account when I wrote this chapter (hell, I don't remember where the Akitsuki hideout really is; was it's location ever mentioned in the manga?), and I'm too tired– and lazy– to change anything now. Also, since Kakuzu is a bit spazzy (is that a real word, and if it is, did I spell it right?) when he's mad, so I'm going to make him spazzy all the time (only in his thoughts though; he is _way_ too cool to actually jump around like a three-year-old when he's happy, or to let anyone know he's having a major panic attack...lol... Kakuzu having a panic attack... I'm such a retard! Why do I find this funny? Oh well, back to the asylum whistles)

"talking"

_thinking_

(( annoying notes from me))– you can skip over 'em while you're readin' the story, but you might want to take a look at them after; some of them explain some shit, others are just stupid stuff; if it starts out with "NOTE:", it's probably something that will be useful... maybe...

THIS IS THE FIXED VERSION! Thanks to Wrist-Slap for pointing out spelling errors and all that jazz. Wrist-Slap, dude, you're like an editor; you saved me from some pretty retarded mistakes. I wuv you!

Now, STORY TIME!

* * *

**Partners**

Chapter Four

* * *

Hidan and Kakuzu were lying in their sleeping bags in their small tent.

After their departure for their mission, they had traveled all day, only stopping for meals. They were over half way there because they had kept up a good pace and left at dawn– though Hidan had to be dragged out of the headquarters kicking and screaming about being woken up at such an early hour. Shortly after the sun had set, they had stopped and set up camp in a small clearing in the forest just off the road. They had only brought one tent, so they wouldn't have as large a load to carry, but it was barely big enough to accommodate the both of them.

At this time, they were trying not to tear each other's throats out. It was past midnight, but both were awake. They had been in close proximity for only a few hours, but they had already learned new things about each other: Hidan had a tendancy to move around in his sleep; Kakuzu hated having his rest disturbed. So, in the wee hours of the morning, Hidan had accidentally kicked Kakuzu in the side, waking him instantly from his light slumber. Having been angered, he kicked Hidan back.

Hidan flinched and squirmed to the opposite side of the tent while still remaining in his sleeping bag. He opened one eye groggily and stared at Kakuzu for a moment, try, with much difficulty, to assess the current situation with a sleep-clouded brain.

"Wha' was tha' for, bas'ard?" Hidan whined. ((NOTE: if you can't tell what Hidan is saying, it 'translates' to: "What was that for, bastard?"))

"You kicked me first."

The reply was followed by silence.

Hidan pouted, but didn't say anything. He pulled the upper half of his body out of his sleeping bag and sat up. He looked around the tent until he found his duffle bag, and h he dug out his bible and a flashlight. He turned to a page marked by a red silk ribbon and switched the flashlight on, holding it between his teeth. He began to read one of the passages in his head.

A large hand came into his line of vision and took the book from his grasp, placing it on the floor of the tent. Hidan looked over at Kakuzu– who was still completely covered except for his eyes and hands– to see two eerie eyes giving him a sleepy glare.

"Hidan, it's late. I'm tired, and we have to wake up early if we want to get to the village by nightfall. We should both go back to sleep," he said, his voice even rougher from lack of sleep and agitation. " Now, turn off that goddamn light."

Hidan did as he said after giving Kakuzu a slight glare.

"Stay on that side of the tent," Kakuzu told Hidan, pointing to the opposite side. "If you kick me again, I'll rip your legs off."

"I'd like to see you try," Hidan retorted.

The two men fell into silence, and soon their breathing became deep and even as they both fell asleep.

* * *

When Kakuzu awakened, he found that Hidan had not done as he was told– not only had he moved from his side of the tent, but was also pressed up against Kakuzu's back. Kakuzu didin't mind the close contact, but he wanted to avoid any awkward situations, so he moved away.

Hidan followed.

It was at this point that Kakuzu noticed that Hidan was shivering.

_Oh... he must have gotten cold last night._

He sighed and reached over his shoulder to poke Hidan's cheek.

_Damn! He's freezing!_

He turned his head towards Hidan.

"Wake up and put a shirt on, dipshit! If you freeze to death, I'm just going to dump you in the forest."

Hidan's only response was burying his face between Kakuzu's shoulder blades.

Kakuzu let out another aggravated sigh. He unzipped his sleeping bag and got out. Hidan whimpered at the loss of warmth, pulling his sleeping bag tighter around him. Kakuzu looked at him for a second before beginning to roll up his sleeping bag and pack up any equipment they had taken out.

He reached over and shook Hidan.

Hidan opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He looked at Kakuzu, waiting for an explanation for his rough wake-up call.

"It's about time to set out. I've already packed most of what we brought. Get up and help me pack up the tent."

Hidan nodded and wiggled his way out of his sleeping bag, then rolled it up. Seeing that his bag was already packed. Hidan fastened his Akitsuki cloak over his bare chest.

Both men stepped out of the tent and began detaching the stakes keeping it in one place. Several minutes later, the tent was packed into it's carrying-case and slung over Kakuzu's shoulder.

After eating a breakfast of dried fruit and salted meat, Kakuzu and Hidan began their trek towards the Village. By the time they stopped to sit and have lunch, Hidan was going insane from the lack of conversation; his eye had begun to twitch only an hour into their silent traveling. ((NOTE: I'm going to base some of Hidan's idiosyncracies off of mine, because they should add some more humor to the story– I swear, I'm not doing this because I'm some vain ego-freak; most people wouldn't admit to having these 'issues', but then again, I'm not 'most people'. More of my 'special traits' will show up in his characterization later– all of which would prove incredibly annoying to someone like Kakuzu. Just wait, it'll be awsome!))

"Aren't you hot wearing all those layers?" Hidan asked in an attempt to start a conversation.

"No," Kakuzu replied. "Aren't you cold without a shirt on?"

"No, and because I know you're thinking it, I've never gotten sick because of it either."

"Idiots never get sick," Kakuzu muttered under his breath.

"Sorry, but I didn't quite catch that," Hidan said, becoming irritated.

"Hm?" Kakuzu looked over at him. "Oh, it was nothing."

Hidan let out an irritated grunt and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Fine," he said, puffing out his cheeks slightly, "be that way."

_God! What a brat_, Kakuzu thought, letting out a low chuckle.

Upon hearing Kakuzu's laugh, Hidan began to fume. ((he should have been born Irish... he certainly has the temper. lol.))

"Is something funny?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"No," Kakuzu replied calmly. "Come on, let's get going. We should be able to reach the village sometime tonight if we keep up this pace."

At the mention of civilization, Hidan forgot what he was angry about and smiled. His eyes lit up at the thought of a real meal and an actual bed.

_He's only been traveling for a day and a half, yet the mention of a village perks him up so much that he practically glows. You'd think he'd been in the wilderness for weeks_, Kakuzu thought. _Just how high-maintenance is he?_

Kakuzu looked over at Hidan and almost laughed at what he saw: Hidan was combing through his hair with his fingers and flattening it back against his head. Hidan turned to look at him.

"Tonight, we're eating at a restaurant, and we're going to stay in a hotel; I'm not sleeping in that tent again!"

Kakuzu snorted.

"Fine, but nothing expensive," he said. "And that," he said, pointing to the three-bladed scythe lying by Hidan's side, "will have to be hidden or disguised." (( Kakuzu should have been born Jewish... he's so stingy with money! Btw, I'm only saying this because, as a Jew, it is okay for me to joke about stuff like this. If you ain't Jewish, don't joke about a single fuckin' Jew stereotype; I'll hunt you down, and I will hurt you.))

"I'll just use a genjutsu," Hidan said. "The village is a small one, so there shouldn't be many more shinobi besides our targets; I'll make sure that it appears as a staff or walkingstick to everyone in the village."

"Alright," agreed Kakuzu. "Now, let's go."

They put the left-over food back in their bags and started towards the village again.

* * *

Hidan and Kakuzu reached the village soon after the sun had set. When they had been about a mile from their destination, they had removed their Akitsuki cloaks and forehead-protectors; Hidan put on a shirt and placed a genjutsu over his scythe.

When they reached the village, Kakuzu asked a shop-keeper where there was an inn. The shop-keeper directed them to a quaint in that was about the size of a large house in the heart of the village. They stepped inside and up to the front desk. The receptionist looked up at them.

"Can I help you, sirs?" she asked politely.

"Yes," said Kakuzu. "We need a room for a few nights. Do you have anything open?"

The receptionist opened a notebook and ran her finger down the pages. She stopped her finger and looked back up at the waiting men.

"Yep," she replied cheerfully. "We have one room open; it's sixty-one-thousand and fifty yen a night. I'll need you to pay up-front." ((NOTE: I know it's a small inn, but it's a small village. Anyway, if someone can tell me how many yen are in an American dollar, that would be really helpful, and I'll love that person forever))

"Alright, thank you," Kakuzu said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. He took out 18,450 yen and handed it to the receptionist. "We plan on staying three nights, but we may stay longer."

"That's fine," she said, digging a key out of the desk drawers. "Here's your key. You're in room 13; it's at the end of the hall to your left."

Hidan took the key.

"Thanks," he said. "And hey, are there any restaurants you recommend?"

"Hmmm," she hummed, taking a few minutes to think. "Ah! There's a good Korean barbeque across the street, and a bar that has good ramen and udon down the street. If you go around the block, there is also a good sushi and tempura joint."

"Thanks," Hidan said, flashing her a quick smile.

"Not a problem," she replied, smiling back at him.

Kakuzu tugged on Hidan's wrist and the two men walked down the hall to their room, unlocking it and throwing their bags into the room. They didn't bother to look into the room before walking back to the main lobby and leaving the inn after the receptionist wished them a good evening and a good meal.

"So what shall we do tonight?" Kakuzu asked.

"Ramen," Hidan replied. "We should get a hot meal, and I'm not going to eat meat for at least another few days; one man can only eat so much salted beef before he decides that he wants something different." ((my craziness again; and there is defiantly such thing as eating too much meat!))

"Point taken. Now let's go; I'm starving."

* * *

Walking back to the inn from the bar, Hidan was very confused.

_How the hell did Kakuzu eat that fast? I looked away for one minute, and when I look back, his meal is completely gone, but his mask is still in place. How the FUCK does he do that?!?_

* * *

Yay! Done!

All the notes are somewhere in the story, so there isn't a huge-ass paragraph at the end. Yay again!

Well, read the notes (I'm going to put all the notes at the end next chapter... I was in a _very_ strange ADD and PMS induced mood), and see ya, dudes!


	5. A Single Bed & a Battle

DA NEXT CHAPTER HAS ARRIVED!

This was originally one normal sized chapter and one really measly, wimpy-ass chapter, but I decided to combine them.

This chapter, all my little notes will just be marked throughout the story by numbers, and the actual note will be at the end.

I am changing the rating to M, and I hope I'm not moving the story too fast... one moment I'll think 'wow, this is perfect', and then start to think my writing is total crap the next('this is all wrong! I can't write stories; I was meant to write poetry. POETRY!').

Any-who, I luv all the reviewers (I love you all so much that I want to hug you until your eyes pop out of the sockets!)((...sorry...)), and because I feel such affection for all you lovely peoples, I shall post the 6th chapter today, too!

"talking"

_thinking_

Enjoy the story!

* * *

**Partners**

Chapter Five

* * *

Kakuzu unlocked and opened the door to the inn-room. He stepped inside and looked around, locating the bathroom and taking in the fixtures and furniture. There was a small window on the far wall, and a desk with a matching chair was situated under it. A medium-sized bed was against the adjacent wall, and it was draped in a blue bed-spread and pillows.

_Wait... only one bed? Lovely, just lovely._

Kakuzu sighed, drawing Hidan's attention to him as he stepped into the room.

"Somethin' wrong?" Hidan asked, looking around Kakuzu's side to see into the room. Upon seeing that there was only one bed, he let out a long 'oh'. "Well, I'm sure as hell not sleeping on the floor!"

"Well, I'm not sharing a bed with you; you kicked me in your sleep last night."

"Sorry," Hidan replied, his tone slightly sarcastic. "Anyway, I was just uncomfortable sleeping on the hard ground."

Kakuzu remained quiet for a moment before saying: "Fine, but if you hit me again, I'll push you right off the bed."

Hidan stuck his tongue out at Kakuzu and went to the bathroom to get ready to go to sleep.

After taking a long shower and completing his other nightly rituals, Hidan came back into the bedroom; he noticed that Kakuzu was already asleep.

_How can he sleep with that mask on? It must be so uncomfortable... oh well..._

Hidan took his shirt off and slid under the covers as far away from Kakuzu as possible; he didn't want to risk disturbing his sleep. Minutes later, he had drifted into his own slumber.

In the morning, Hidan woke up surrounded by a blissful warmth; under his head, a firm but comfortable surface rose and fell in a constant rhythm. He took in a deep breath, and inhaled the scent of trees and smoke; he liked the smell, and he nuzzled his cheek against the surface beneath him. He was vaguely aware of the heartbeat vibrating against his temple and ear, and slowly registered that he was lying half-way on top of another person.

_Wait...who?...oh. It must be Kakuzu,_ he thought.

Even after he became aware that he was using his grumpy partner as a pillow, he did not move; if anything, he scooted closer to the large man and wrapped his arms around the broad, still clothed chest.((1))

_Mmmm... Kakuzu is comfy, and he smells nice. Mabey he won't wake up, and I can just stay here like this all morning._

Hidan tilted his head to look at Kakuzu's face.

_He seems more relaxed when he's sleeping; it's hard to tell with that mask covering his face, though. He's sleeping pretty deeply right now. Hmmmm... maybe..._

He reached up and carefully grasped the edge of Kakuzu's mask between two fingers, and slowly pulled the cloth down and over his chin. The rest of Kakuzu's face was just as tan as the area around his eyes, even though it was always covered and hidden from the sun. He had a straight nose and slightly thin lips, which were a few shades darker and pinker than the rest of the exposed skin. At both edges of his mouth, thick black thread was stitched nearly to his jaw.

Hidan looked up towards his eyes and noticed a lock of coarse black hair had fallen out from under the head-covering, and now lay across his forehead.

_Wow. I don't see why he covers his face; the stitches are pretty odd, but he's definitely hansom. I wonder what the rest of him looks li– oh Jashin! Bad Hidan! No! No! Bad thoughts, bad thoughts. Just because you think he's good-looking, and smells nice, and has a sexy voice, and a personality that attracts you as much as it infuriates you, and big hands_ ((2))..._ DAMMIT!__Bad, bad Hidan! Stop it! He's just your coworker, and not everyone can end up like Sasori and Deidara... or Itachi and Kisame... I'm so jealous of them._

Hidan sighed and put Kakuzu's mask back in place.

_He's still asleep? Didn't he wake up really easily yesterday?_((3)) _Oh well, I guess it's a good thing that he didn't wake up this morning; this would be pretty hard to explain without getting hit. Ha... 'Oh, good morning Kakuzu. You smell good, so I decided to use you as a pillow, and I was just looking at your incredibly hansom face. Oh, didn't you know? I'm a total fag!_((4))_' Yup, that would go well._

With another sigh, Hidan removed his arms from around Kakuzu's cloth-covered chest and lifted himself off the larger man and out of bed. He stripped off his bottoms and put on new boxers and pants. With a snort of disgust, he slid on a t-shirt over his head((5)). After brushing his teeth and slicking back his hair, he looked at the clock hanging on the wall opposite the bed; it was eight o'clock in the morning.

"Kakuzu, gut up for breakfast. We have to go out and look for the girls today."

Kakuzu opened his eyes and stared at Hidan for a moment. He got out of the bed and gave Hidan a small nod. After retrieving a change of cloths from his bag, Kakuzu went into the bathroom; he came out a few minutes later, dressed in the fresh clothing, and dropped the old garments next to his bag.

"Alright," he said, "let's go."

The two walked out to the room, making sure to lock the door, and out into the lobby. After wishing the receptionist a good morning, the men left the inn.

Hidan and Kakuzu walked through the village, stopping at a small bakery to get breakfast, and looked for the blond and black-haired koinichi. As they walked, Hidan tossed his scythe-turned-staff form hand to hand.

"Would you stop that?" Kakuzu asked, irritated.

"Stop what?" Hidan asked back, unaware of the movements of his hands and weapon.

"That! Stop it, damn you!"

"Wha–? Oh, well sor-ry! You know what? I wo– HEY! Hey, there they are!" Hidan said, stopping his soon-to-be rant to point to two women identical to the ones in the fil, with forehead-protectors gleaming in the sunlight.

The two men walked up to the women, and Kakuzu put a quick silencing jutsu on them before they had time to react((6)). With amazing speed, the men pulled them behind a building and used a jutsu to transport all of them to a remote area where they could carry out their task without being noticed or distracted.

With a puff of thick gray smoke, the four ninjas appeared in a large clearing that was surrounded on all sides by a dense pine forest.

After a moment, the black-haired koininchi shook herself from her surprised daze, and delivered a quick but powerful reverse elbow hit to her captors gut; Kakuzu's grip only loosened slightly, but it was enough for her to slip out of his grasp. The blond women discreetly preformed the hand-signs for a substitution jutsu, and Hidan found himself gripping a thick branch.

Kakuzu detected movement to his right, and lunged at the blond just as she reappeared. She barley dodged, and pulled two kunai out of a pouch on her belt to block his next attack.

While she was blocking his one arm, the stitches that were hidden by the sleeve of Kakuzu's shirt loosened, and black strands pushed out form the new gap and crept down his arm, still concealed by the shirt. He moved to attack her side, and as she blocked with both arms, he let the dark tendrils loose, and they lashed out at the woman. She used one kunai to protect her body and one kunai to cut at the strands; the two fighters became a flurry of thrashing tendrils, blades, and kicks.

Several yards away, Hidan had engaged in battle with the black-haired woman, who he knew was called Nami. He had removed the genjutsu on his scythe– the women they were fighting could see right through the illusion, and there was no sense in wasting energy– and was swinging it at his opponent with wide, swift arks; as fast as she was, Nami could only dodge and throw an occasional shuriken as a counter.

Finally, Hidan hit his mark; he had only inflicted a small cut on her face, but he had Nami's blood on his scythe. He jumped back several feet to avoid a well-aimed kunai, and quickly licked the blood of his blade. As the crimson liquid touched his tongue, his skin became black, and white markings resembling a skeleton covered his body. He quickly used the base of his weapon to draw a large version of his pendant in the dirt around him; even as Nami advanced on him with amazing speed, he continued. He finished seconds before she was within striking range, and he jabbed the three blades of his scythe into his abdomen; before she could hit him, Nami collapsed onto the ground, clutching her middle and convulsing in pain.

Hidan smiled and let out a laugh. He pushed the weapon farther into his body, his grin widening and becoming bloody as the vital liquid dripped from his wound and the corner of his mouth.

"Miyuki!" Nami cried out in agony.

The blond, Miyuki, though still fighting Kakuzu, turned to the call and jumped away from her fight, pulling out a large shuriken and sending it flying towards Hidan's neck; his grin was now nearly wide enough to split his face in two.

The shuriken cut cleanly through his neck, and his head was thrown a few feet away from the rest of his body; blood poured onto the already torn and soiled shirt. As the blade sliced Hidan's throat, Nami let out a final weak and gurgling scream before falling completely limp on the grass.

"Nami?!? NAMI!" Miyuki screamed, tears forming in her eyes. She turned and jumped at Kakuzu with a shriek, intending to channel her anger on the large man, but the thick black cords wrapped around her neck and lifted her off the ground before she was close enough to hit him. Kakuzu squeezed he neck with the cords, and she clawed and struggled to break free, but Kakuzu only squeezed tighter, waiting for her to suffocate; when she became lifeless, he released her and let her body drop to the ground.

_She fought with her emotions... I'm surprised she was able to survive this long._

He looked over to where Hidan's head and body lay separated by at least a yard; his eyes showed sorrow.

_How terrible... and he had really began to grow on me..._

* * *

((1)) Hidan likes Kakuzu... who could have possibly guessed. I have a second note, too: I had a really good idea for this scene, but then I remembered that Kakuzu was still wearing a shirt. DAMN! Well, I guess I'll just use the idea later on.

((2)) You all know what they say about people with big hands, don't you? (So. so sorry, but I just couldn't help it.)

((3)) Being around Hidan must be stressful and exhausting... I'm surprised he didn't just pass out during their traveling.

((4)) I hate the use of this word, but it sounds like something Hidan would say, so it stays.

((5)) Hidan's motto must be 'Shirts are the root of all evil' or 'A freed torso is a happy torso'. Does he ever wear them?

((6)) I know that they're supposed to be powerful koinichi, but everyone lets their guard down sometimes; and wouldn't you think that it would probably be when they were at home, in their village– I mean, would there usually be someone there who was after them.

There it is, chapter 5. The next chapter will be short, but it will be out today!


	6. A Surprise

Now for chapter 6. 2 in one day; WOOT!

This chapter is really short, and I could have just put it at the end of chapter 5, but I didn't want to. You can think of it as the conclusion to what would be the first part of this story if it were separated into parts. Also, I'm using this extra chapter as a peace offering; I'm not sure how long it will take me to write the next chapter, and it could be a while (don't kill me!).

Now then, this chapter is gonna get a bit weird... but not weird enough for me to consider it weird. Those who do not like needles and disembodied heads SHOULD NOT BE READING A STORY WITH HIDAN IN THE FIRST PLACE!

"talking"

_thinking_

Notes will be the same way as last chapter.

Now, ONWARD!

* * *

**Partners**

Chapter Six

* * *

"Hey! HEY BASTARD!"

_The hell...?_

Kakuzu shook his head.

_I really must be going crazy. I can still hear his voice._

"Over here, dipshit! Give me a hand, would you?"

Kakuzu turned to where Hidan's head had landed, only to see a pair of magenta eyes glaring at him.

_Holy. Shit._

"Stop staring and bring me back to my body!"

_Wow. I guess Leader-sama was right... I wouldn't be able to kill him... that's just plain weird._

"Come on, retard! I don't have all day, you know!"

Kakuzu shook his head again and walked over to Hidan's disembodied head. He picked it up by the hair and carried it back oevr to it's body.

"OW! Watch it! Don't pull so hard!"

"Do you have any thread or needles?" Kakuzu asked. "Seeing as you haven't kicked the bucket, we can sew your head back onto your body."

"Not sure. I don't have my cloak, but there might be some in the side pockets of my pants."

Kakuzu dug through the cargo pockets near the knees of the headless body's pants. Finally, he found a large needle; he didn't, however, find any thread.

_Hm... I guess I'll just have to deal with this my own way, _he thought as he rolled up his sleeve to reveal one patchwork-like forearm.

Hidan looked at him questioningly as he loosened some of the stitches near his elbow. A single black strand wormed it's way out of the opening, and Kakuzu pulled it out; it was nearly four feet long.

"Um... what are you gonna do with that?" Hidan inquired.

"You have no thread," Kakuzu said as he threaded the strand through the eye of the needle. He tied a not at one end and set the needle down.

He reached out for Hidan's body and pulled his neck and shoulders onto his lap. He picked up the thread and needle and pushed it through the skin of the lower half of Hidan's neck, and then lifted his head and put the needle through the flesh of the upper half. He pulled the two parts together and began to sew Hidan's head to his body with tight, even stitches.

As Kakuzu worked, Hidan began humming.

_This is definitely odd,_ he thought, _but since the thread was part of him, now a part of him is part of me! _He laughed at himself in his mind. _Wow... only I would find something like this sweet or touching..._

Hidan knew that once he had completely healed, he wouldn't need the stitches to hold him together, but he decided he wouldn't take them out, if for nothing else but the sentiment.

"Hidan, stop humming," Kakuzu said, not moving his eyes from the stitches he was concentrating on. "The vibrations make it harder for me to work. You wouldn't want me to poke a hole in your trachea or larynx((1)), would you?"

"Sorry," Hidan replied.

"Don't apologize, just shut up."

Hidan pouted, but he said nothing further.

After several minutes, Kakuzu tied the final knot to secure the connection.

"Done," he announced, wiping any blood on his hands onto his pant-leg. "Can you move?"

"Give me a sec. The nerves and all that shit will reattach quickly, and then we can be on our way."

They stayed in their positions for a few more minutes, waiting for Hidan to regain mobility. Every few seconds, Hidan would try to move his hands.

"Mm. Your legs are comfy," Hidan said quietly.

"Excuse me?" Kakuzu asked, slightly embarrassed and very confused.

"Huh? Oh! Nothing, nothing," Hidan replied, blushing and mortified that he had been thinking out loud.

The two men sat in an awkward silence for a couple more minutes, but made no move to change position. Finally, Hidan was able to move his limbs.

Hidan got up quickly and retrieved his scythe.

Kakuzu walked over to the two corpses of the women and picked them up.

"What are you gonna do with those?" Hidan asked.

"Sell them," Kakuzu answered. "I know a researcher near here who would pay a hefty price for new specimens."

"Eww..."

"Yes, well, it's a way of making money.

"But really, that's pretty sick," Hidan said, shuddering slightly.

Kakuzu shrugged. "So's masochism."

"What did you say, asshole?!?"

* * *

((1)) The trachea is the wind-pipe, and the larynx is the voice-box for those who didn't know. (Hidan probably has no idea what Kakuzu's talking about --;)

This could be the last chapter for the next couple weeks, so I'm sorry. I'm still trying to think of what should come next. Please tell me any suggestions you guys have.

I'll see ya'll later.


	7. A Secret

Here's chapter seven. I had this done about a week ago, but I was too lazy to post it until now...

My bad, dudes --;

Anyway, this is what I came up with for when Hidan and Kakuzu came back; well, actually, it's really only with Hidan, and it's really more centered around the SasoDei side-pairing. It does however completely establish Hidan's feelings for Kakuzu. Next chapter will be centered around Kakuzu and will take place at the same time as this chapter is, so you'll have to wait to find out what he thinks of Hidan.

Sorry again for being lazy...

"talking"

_thoughts_

notes from me will be the same as last time (at least if I actually have anything to say...)

Now, LET THE CHAPTER _BEGIN_!

* * *

**Partners**

Chapter Seven

The moment Hidan stepped through the main doors of the Akatsuki headquarters, he was knocked to the ground by a very exited Deidara.

"Oh, Hidan, I'm so glad you're back, un! I have somethin' really important ta tell ya! Un!"

Hidan blinked. "Uh, I have to unpack. You could come help me while you tell me."

"Okay, un. It's kinda personal, so I won't tell ya 'til we're in your room."

"Fine," Hidan said. "Just help me up so we can get going."

"Sorry, un!" Deidara said as he stood up. He bent forward and grabbed both Hidan's hand, pulling him to his feet with one great heave. Because of the extra momentum, Hidan bumped heads with Deidara.

Deidara shook his head and looked downward, waiting for the room to stop spinning. His eyes were automatically drawn to the stitches around Hidan's neck. He quickly snapped his head up and to lock his gaze with Hidan's.

"Ow... OH! What happened, un?!?"

"Don't worry," Hidan assured him. "It's nothing."

Deidara used one hand to massage his aching forehead and replied: "Fine. I guess we'll have to talk about 'nothing' later. Un!"

Hidan snorted.

"Alright then," he said, picking up his bag and offering his free arm to Deidara. "Shall we?"

Deidara giggled and linked their arms at their elbows.

"We shall, un."

Hidan laughed, and they began walking to his room.

When they reached Hidan's room, Hidan dropped Deidara's arm and reached into one of his pant-pockets, pulling out a small copper key. He unlocked the door and opened it, letting Deidara enter first.

"Still so drab, un," Deidara said as he looked around Hidan's still-grey room. His eyes landed on the small clay bird figurine perched on the corner of the desk.

"Well, at least you have a 'Deidara Original' to bring some life to this boring excuse for a bedroom. No offense, un."

"None taken," Hidan replied, rolling his eyes.

He dropped his duffle bag next to the doorway . He walked over to his bed and sat against the pillow and the wall.

" I've been thinking about what I could do to redecorate; maybe you and Itachi can help. Where is he anyway?"((1))

"He and Kisame were sent on a mission yesterday, but it shouldn't be long; Itachi told me it was just a quick delivery mission."

"Ah," Hidan said, nodding in understanding. "Anyway, what did you want to tell me before?"

"Oh!" Deidara exclaimed, bouncing over to Hidan and sitting cross-legged across from him in the middle of the bed. "Well... un... me and Sasori kinda-sorta did _it_, un."

"Really?" Hidan asked, surprised but smiling. "How many years have you been together before this?"

"We've worked together for five years, and we've been together for three, un," Deidara said. He blushed and let out a small giggle. "We actually did it on the night of our anniversary, ya know, un. It was the day after you left for your first mission. It was such a great day, un; Sasori took me to a town that's about an hour's walk away from here, and we took a walk in the public garden and went to dinner at a small restaurant. He even gave me flowers– red roses. It was so romantic, un!"((2))

" Then you came back here and had sex?" Hidan asked, eager to hear the juicy details.

"We didn't just 'have sex'; we _made love_, un!" Deidara exclaimed, holding both hands over his heart. "And for your information, we stayed at a nice hotel, un!"

"Of course," Hidan said, smiling fondly at Deidara. He could tell that that night had meant the world– and much more– to his friend, and he began to notice a contentment in what he did and said that wasn't there before.

"Anyway, it was you're fist time, right? What was it like?"

"Yeah, un. His present to me was a peaceful day, and I gave him my virginity– of course, he was a virgin, too, un. It hurt really badly at first, but he tried so hard to be gentle, and it just felt so natural, and... and right, un. He made me feel so good, un, and after, he held me and told me how much he loves me, and how I had just given him the greatest day of his life.((4)) I cried so hard, and I was so happy, un," he said, wiping tears of joy form the corner of his eyes.

Deidara looked over to his friend and started laughing– Hidan's magenta eyes were wide and glistening with tears; his bottom lip was quivering ever so slightly. When he heard Deidara laughing, he glared, but joined him in his laughing after a moment.

When they both had stopped laughing and had caught their breath, Hidan smiled widely at Deidara.

"Jashin, that was beautiful!" Hidan gushed. "I'm so happy for you– and I'm so jealous!"

"Why would you be jealous, un?" Deidara asked, smirking. "Do you have someone ya want ta be with?"

"Well..." Hidan said hesitantly, blushing a dark shade of pink.

Deidara squealed and shifted to his knees, moving so he was nose to nose with Hidan.

"Who do ya like, un? Who is it? WHO?!?" Deidara asked as he bounced up and down excitedly, shaking the bed and it's other occupant. "Did you meet someone on your mission, or, or– oh, let me guess, un! It's Kakuzu! It has ta be Kakuzu, un!"

Hidan blushed crimson and gave a small affirmative nod. Deidara began to bounce higher.

"Does he like ya back, un? Does 'e?"

"I, um, don't know, but he let me share a bed with him, and when I was lying in his lap so he could sew up my neck after it got cut off he didn't move me..."

"It sure sounds like he does ta m— y-you got your _head_ cut _OFF_?!?"

* * *

((1)) Talk about ADD--; " We need to unpack. Wait! Let's talk about my room instead."

((2)) Hey, one of the Akatsuki members has to know how to take someone on a proper date, right? Of course right! (lol... Yente quote. I love Fiddler on the Roof...)

((3)) FYI, those three are virgins (or were virgins); Deidara because he's Deidara, and he's to adorable not to have been innocent; Hidan because he's just so crazy about his religion that he didn't even notice other people in that way before Kakuzu, even though he's still kind of a perv; Sasori because he's a total recluse

((4)) It's probably the most he's ever said to anyone...

Hope you guys liked the chapter, and I'll try to finish the next soon.

I wuv you all! Buh-bye now!


	8. A New Problem

I am so proud of myself for updating so quickly. And, as promised, this chapter is centered around Kakuzu. Incase you forgot, it takes place during the same time as chapter 7.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed (I forgot to do this last chapter... I feel kinda bad)! And thanks to everyone who added this to their favorite stories list or story alert thing.

It's harder for me to write about Kakuzu than to write about Hidan for me, so don't kill me if this chapter sucks; I am very aware that it is totally OOC.

"talking"

_thinking_

notes are the same as they always are

Well... here goes nothin'!

* * *

**Partners**

Chapter Eight

* * *

Kakuzu watched as Deidara came running towards Hidan as they re-entered the Akatsuki headquarters, crashing into him and sending them both tumbling to the floor. He rolled his eyes as Deidara all but screamed a greeting to Hidan.

_He seems excited_, Kakuzu thought.

He continued to watch their short exchange, amused.

_Idiots... though it must be nice to be on top of Hidan._

He sighed and shook his head. He began walking towards his bedroom.

_I have to stop thinking like this. Falling in love with a coworker will only be trouble in the end._

He unlocked and entered his room. He quickly unpacked his bag and put everything back into it's proper place. He put his dirty clothing in a pile next to his bed, which was still covered completely in it's original grey; he had not, and had no desire to, put a personal touch to his room.

Kakuzu retrieved a towel and shower necessities from one of the well-organized drawers of the dresser. He left his room and started towards the bathroom.

He stepped into the white-tiled room and locked the door. He set his towel on the closed lid of the toilet and turned on the water, stepping into the spray before the temperature of the water had even begun to adjust.

As he shampooed his thin black hair, his thoughts returned to his partner.

_It's definitely stupid to like him; he probably wouldn't give you a second thought_, he scolded himself. _And as for returning you feelings, he could never love a stitch-covered freak like you._

Kakuzu's thoughts turned to the times Hidan had lain on him. He snorted.

_Hell, he probably sees you as nothing more than a pillow._((1))

Kakuzu looked down at his palm, tracing the scars with the index finger of the opposite hand. He let out a long, sad sigh.

He had completely forgotten where he was or what he had been doing until the water carried the shampoo suds into his eyes. He hissed at the sting and turned his face up to the warm stream of water, rinsing out his eyes and soothing the slight burning sensation.

He let out another heavy sigh and continued washing himself.

When he was done, he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing his towel and drying his hair and body. When he was satisfied that he wouldn't soak his cloths, he but them back on, gathering his things and leaving the bathroom.

Ont eh way back to his room, Kakuzu passed Deidara's room. He only caught a brief and broken portion of the conversation taking place on the other side of the door, but it was still enough for him to understand the gist of it.

"... me... Sasori... did _it_."

He let out a small chuckle and continued walking. He passed Sasori in the hall.

"I hear you got lucky," he said, smirking.

Sasori stopped and turned his head towards Kakuzu.

"That's none of you're business," he said cooly. "It's personal."

Kakuzu began to laugh again.

"When you're with someone as loud as Deidara, nothing's personal," he retorted.

Sasori just grunted and continued walking.

Kakuzu continued towards his room, glad that he had been able to forget his bad mood, if only for a few seconds.

When he was finally in his room, he stripped completely and put his cloths in the dirty pile. He got clean pair of boxers and put them on.

Suddenly, he was hit with a wave of tiredness, and he crawled into his bed after shutting off the lights.

_God... being depressed is exhausting..._

As he lay in his bed, awaiting sleep, Kakuzu felt a slight presence; he knew it was from the strand in Hidan's neck. The strand was composed of his chakra, and it formed a connection between the two of them((2)), even if he was the only one who could feel it.

The feeling of closeness comforted Kakuzu, and he fell into a peaceful slumber with a smile on his lips.

* * *

((1)) As you can see, I'm making Kakuzu really insecure about himself, so he ignores or denies any of the obvious signs of Hidan's feelings for him.

((2)) I had to put this in... I couldn't leave Kakuzu all angsty! Too much angst totally ruins stories!

I'm sorry that this chapter was so short, but like I said: It's hard to write about Kakuzu.

I hope this wasn't to bad...

See you next chapter, guys (hopefully that will be soon)!


	9. A Fall & Revealed Feelings

Alright. I think I've started a little habit; I always seem to post two chapters at a time... hm. Anyway, I'm on the ninth chapter now, and it's going to be the second to last chapter. Yes, I'm only doing ten, but I'm posting ten at the same time as this; I was going to do more, but when I finished ten I said 'hey, going farther with this could ruin it'.

"talking"

_thoughts_

(( notes))

Let's begin.

* * *

**Partners**

Chapter Nine

* * *

Hidan and Deidara spent a few hours talking and laughing before Deidara left to go sleep in the room he shared with Sasori.

_Deidara's so lucky_, Hidan thought as he prepared for bed. _Oh, great! Here comes the jealousy again... Jashin, I wish I had someone to share a bed with. Kakuzu, what are you__doing to me? I've never felt this way before; it's like the new emotions are hitting me like a bunch of over-sized kunai. Wow... there's an interesting simile._

He buried himself in his blankets.

_I'm too tired for this. I should just sleep._

?????_  
_

Hidan woke early the next morning. Turning to look at the alarm clock on his night stand, he let out a tired groan. The numbers on the screen flashed bright and red: 7:11.

He rolled back over and covered his head with his pillow. He quickly began to drift back into a state of unconsciousness.

Just as he was about to fall back asleep, Hidan heard a loud, almost urgent, banging at his bedroom door. He jumped.

Hidan rolled out of bed and trudged over to the door, opening it after having minor difficulty with the handle.

If not for his reflexes, Hidan would have been hit directly on the nose by Deidara's fist as he continued to try and knock at the now-open door.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, un! You opened the door before I could stop," Deidara said.

Hidan grunted and gave Deidara a sleepy look, asking the reason for his early morning visit.

"Hidan! Hidan!" Deidara squealed, shaking with excitement. " Itachi and Kisame are back, un! I looked out my window, and they were only about a quarter of a mile away! Let's go meet them, un!"

"I thought they'd only been gone a couple days," Hidan said, bewildered by his friend's enthusiasm.

"I know, but I missed them so much, un!"

Hidan just nodded.

"C'mon, then. Let's go, un!" Deidara said, grabbing Hidan's wrist tightly and dragging him out into the hall.

As they set a fast walking pace towards the entrance, Hidan managed to pull his arm free of Deidara's vice like grip.

Turning a corner too quickly, Hidan slammed into someone coming from the opposite way, sending them both down to the floor.

The fist thing Hidan noticed after coming out of his slight daze was his position; his legs were tangled around the other person's thighs, and one arm rested next to their head while the other was trapped between their chests. The second thing he noticed was that he wasn't wearing a shirt, clad only in his loose sleeping pants, which seemed to have fallen lower than they already were during the fall. The last thing he noticed was that he was sprawled out on the man who had plagued his thoughts so often in recent weeks.

Looking up and catching Kakuzu's gaze, Hidan's blush matched his eyes. A Hidan looked into Kakuzu's yellow and black eyes, he began to find it increasingly difficult to look a way. Without being aware of his actions, he began to lean farther on to Kakuzu.

Everyone stayed still for a few moments, and Deidara began giggling and cooing at the pair.

The silence was broken by a familiar monotone.

"On the hallway floor, Hidan? I thought you had more decency."

The three looked up to see Itachi standing over the fallen pair, one slender eyebrow raised high in question.

Hidan's blush darkened.

"It's not what it looks like, perv," Kakuzu retorted, glaring at Itachi.

"Fine, fine," Itachi replied, waving one hand dismissively. "But if you want your argument to be more convincing, you should probably get up."

Hidan immediately jumped up and away from Kakuzu, who slowly pulled himself to his feet after the extra weight was removed. Both looked anywhere but at the other.

"Well," Deidara said, clapping his hands together and breaking what was becoming a very awkward silence. "Itachi, you should come hang out, un. We missed you so much, un! Kisame won't mind much, will he?"

"No, he just went to lie down. I have no idea what could have made him so tired," Itachi replied, reaching around and massaging his lower back.((1))

"Alright, then. Let's go. We can talk in my room," Hidan said quickly, eager to put distance between himself and his partner.

The three walked back to Hidan's room and sat on his bed.

"Did Deidara tell you about his anniversary?" Hidan asked Itachi.

"Yes, he did," he replied.

"Oh!" Deidara exclaimed. "I have new news, un. I have new news!"

"What is it?" Itachi asked, looking at Deidara expectantly.

"Well, it's not really my news, un," Deidara said.

Hidan groaned, knowing what was about to be said. However, he did not do anything to stop Deidara form continuing; he knew that it was inevitable that Itachi would find out eventually.

"Okay, here it is," Deidara started, pausing in a obvious attempt to build suspense. "Okay, un." Another long pause and a deep breath. "Hidan likes Kakuzu!"

Itachi looked between Deidara and the now-blushing Hidan. After a moment, he let out a small laugh, as if to say that that had been the most obvious thing in the world.

* * *

((1)) Those who don't get this should just go away now.

Only one more chapter to go!


	10. A Fight & a Kiss END

Here's the final chapter, but don't worry; there will be a sequel (but it'll probably only be a one-shot... so don't kill me).

I've really enjoyed writing this and receiving compliments and feed back. To those who reveiwed: thank you so much! You gave me some good advice and help, and you guys really built up my confidence in my writing ability. I also wanted to thank everyone who added me to their story alerts, favorite stories list and favorite authors list; you guys _really_ gave me a confidence boost.

Be warned... there will be OOC...

"talking"

_thinking_

"**Zetsu's other personality talking**"

((notes))

Now, we start on the path to the finish.

* * *

**Partners**

Chapter Ten

* * *

Three days had passed since the embarrassing incident in the hall, and every night, images of the heavily flushed and bare chested Hidan flashed through Kakuzu's mind. Sometimes, he thought he could still feel Hidan's warm breath on his face, and the weight on his chest and legs. His subconscious pelted him with situations that involved similar positions, but that were far more erotic.

Hidan's wide, shining eyes and slightly parted lips were forever burned into his mind's eye.

Kakuzu had almost thought that he had felt Hidan leaning closer to him as they had lain on the floor, but he quickly passed it off as a wishful delusion. He knew Hidan wouldn't want to be close to him, and how he now avoided Kakuzu proved it. Kakuzu also knew that the crimson blush that stained Hidan's cheeks whenever they did run into each other was definitely his imagination, or was at least from embarrassment or anger.

_His arm must have been over one of my hearts; if he felt my heart rate increase, he must know that I like him, and he probably hates me for it. This is going to make missions so awkward._

Kakuzu let out a long sigh.

_Well, maybe I should find him so we can work this out; I don't want this getting in the way of work._

With another sigh, he set out to find Hidan.

When he reached the headquarter's common room, he saw Deidara and walked over to him.

"Deidara, have you seen Hidan today?" Kakuzu asked.

"Oh! Hi, un," Deidara said, looking up from the scroll he was reading. "Yeah, I have. I think he was going to practice, so I'd go and look for him in the training rooms."

"Training rooms? Thanks," Kakuzu said.

"No problem, un," Deidara replied as Kakuzu started walking down one of the halls.

Reaching the first training room, he opened the door, and stepping inside, he looked around. He saw several platforms and hanging targets, but no one was in the room. He stepped back out and closed the door, continuing down the hall to the next door.

The next room was large and had no platforms or targets. Itachi stood over Zetsu in the middle of the room, having apparently just won a sparring match. He turned to Kakuzu.

"Hey," he said in his usual monotone. "Care for a spar?"

"Sounds good," Kakuzu replied, "but maybe later. I'm looking for Hidan right now."

"Hidan?" Zetsu asked.

"Yeah."

"He's in the room at the end of the hall," Zetsu said. "The one with the moving targets."((1))

"Thanks."

"**Good luck,**" Zetsu called out to Kakuzu as he left. "**He seemed pretty mad. He'll probably slash anything that goes into that room!**"

He let out a dark laugh.

Kakuzu just shook his head and closed the door.

He walked to the training room Zetsu had said Hidan was in quickly. Opening the door quietly, he walked inside.

Broken targets littered the floor, and to Kakuzu's right, Hidan was cutting more mobile targets cleanly in half with his scythe. Each swing of his weapon was strong, swift, and had deadly accuracy. Hidan was panting lightly and small beads of sweat were running down his face and neck, and over his naked torso.

Kakuzu walked farther into the room, but Hidan didn't seem to notice as he continue to slice the targets.

"Hidan," called out to make his presence known.

Hidan tensed and stopped his weapon mid-ark. He turned to face Kakuzu, and although his expression was blank, his eyes showed nervousness and fear.

"Yeah?" He asked, his voice coming out almost like a squeak.

"You've been avoiding me. Don't argue," he said as Hidan opened his mouth to protest.

"I know you have been, and I want to know why. I can't work with someone who won't talk to me, or even look at me for that matter. W need to work this out and get over it so we can continue with our lives."

The words came out harsher than Kakuzu had intended, and he swore he saw Hidan flinch slightly.

Hidan stared at Kakuzu for a moment before sending him a furious glare.

"Get over it?" Hidan asked, his voice rising with anger. "_Get__over it_?"

His hands balled into fists, clutching his scythe in a vice-grip, and he took a step towards Kakuzu, raising his head so he could look directly into his eyes.

"Well I can't just GET _FUCKING_ OVER IT!"

Kakuzu stared at him, surprised by the amount of emotion in his voice.

"I can't change how I fucking _feel_, _Kakuzu_," he continued, putting emphasis on his partner's name and raising his voice higher, adding more venom to his words. "I mean, how could a _heartless_((2))_ bastard_ like _you_ know what it feels like to _like someone_ who could never _love you back_?!?"

"WHAT?!?" Kakuzu yelled at Hidan, returning his glare with a murderous glare of his own.

"You don't know how _hard _it is for me, liking you as much as I do! I _know _you'll hate me, but _Jashin dammit_, I _don't care_! _I don't fucking care_!"

Kakuzu stopped glaring and stared at Hidan, dumbfounded.

"What did you say?" he asked in a surprised tone.

"I _said_ 'I like you'! A LOT!" Hidan screamed, tears of frustration leaking form the corners of his eyes.

"You _like_ me?" Kakuzu asked, still not believing what he was hearing.

"Yeah, I DO!" Hidan yelled back, throwing his scythe to the side with unnecessary force. "And _what_, prey tell, do you plan on _doing _about it?!?"

Hidan closed his eyes, trying to stop more angry tears from falling.

Kakuzu stared at him, rooted to the spot where he stood. The things Hidan had said had thrown him completely off balance, and ore thoughts were ricocheting around his mind than his brain could possibly process. It took him what seemed like forever to regain control of himself.

Taking slow, cautious steps towards Hidan, Kakuzu reached up to roll his mask down so it hung uselessly around his neck.

Standing directly in front of Hidan, Kakuzu moved one of his large hands to gently cradle the base of Hidan's head. Hidan's eyes snapped open, and he caught a short glimpse of Kakuzu's bare face before he bent down to cover Hidan's lips with his own.

Hidan's eyes widened.

The kiss was gentle and chaste, and Kakuzu pulled away after only a few seconds, still keeping his face close to Hidan's. He looked into Hidan's eyes for several moments, taking in the shock and happiness that showed clearly in the magenta depths, before lowering his head to kiss him again.

Though he was still surprised, Hidan allowed his eyes to close and concentrated on the sensations Kakuzu was creating within him. He became light-headed, and he clumsily began to return the kiss; the kiss he had received moments before had been his first((3)), and he was unsure of his actions.

Kakuzu increased the pressure of the kiss and lightly ran his fingers over Hidan's neck, drawing small circles on the stitches; this caused a jolt in both of them((4)).

Hidan leaned up towards Kakuzu and loosely grasped the material of his shirt. His tears started flowing faster, and he was no longer able to keep them at bay; the joy he was feeling had completely overwhelmed him.

When the kiss ended, Hidan laid his head on Kakuzu's chest, tightening his grip on his shirt.

Kakuzu, feeling his shirt becoming saturated with tears, wrapped his arms around Hidan's back and shoulders, pulling him close. He kissed the top of Hidan's silver hair, and then placed his cheek on the same spot. He gently rocked them back and forth.

Both were silent. Nothing needed to be said.

* * *

Fin

* * *

((1)) That is the most I've had this personality say in the entire story!

((2)) Does anyone else think this is funny word choice for describing Kakuzu? 'Cause I do.

((3)) The whole religion thing I mentioned before. But just so you know, Kakuzu has been kissed, and he's not a virgin; way back when he didn't look like a quilt, he had been with people– of course he likes Hidan better than he ever liked one of them.

((4)) The connection... remember?

And now it is done. Thanks for staying with me, and make sure to stick around for the sequel, which I have an idea for right now. I'll try to come up with more story ideas soon, so just be patient, more will com.

I love you all! See you next story!


End file.
